In a press conference 
Monday 
afternoon, 
Michigan 
Attorney 
General Dana Nessel and 
Secretary of State Jocelyn 
Benson 
announced 
six 
charges 
filed 
against 
Southfield 
City 
Clerk 
Sherikia L. Hawkins on 
allegations 
of 
election 
fraud.
According 
to 
Nessel, 
the Office of the Attorney 
General 
was 
notified 
of discrepancies in the 
Southfield 
voter 
count 
several days ago by the 
Oakland 
County 
Clerk’s 
office, after efforts were 
made to certify Southfield’s 
absentee 
ballots 
from 
the 
November 
2018 
election. 
Nessel’s 
office 

subsequently worked with 
the department’s Public 
Integrity Unit to verify 
the crimes and determine 
what charges should be 
made. 
“Overall, 
our 
public 
integrity unit ensures that 
any public official or law 
enforcement officer who 
commits a crime in the state 
of 
Michigan, 
regardless 
of position, standing, or 
party affiliation, is held 
accountable,” Nessel said. 
“Protecting our democracy 
is not a partisan issue, 
and our goal is to restore 
the public’s interest in 
honest 
government 
and 
the 
integrity 
of 
public 
officials at all levels of our 
government.”
 Nessel says her office 
ultimately 
filed 
six 
charges against Hawkins, 

including 
Election 
Law 
– 
Falsifying 
Returns, 
Forgery of a Public Record, 
Misconduct 
in 
Office 
and three counts of using 
a 
computer 
to 
commit 
a 
crime. 
Hawkins 
was 
summoned to court this 
morning, and appeared in 
front of Judge Michelle 
Friedman Appel of the 45th 
District for a preliminary 
hearing.
While 
Nessel 
would 
not go into the details 
of the alleged crime, she 
explained the allegations 
involved 
Hawkins 
making unauthorized and 
inaccurate changes to a 
list of absentee voters who 
voted in an election last 
year.
Following 
Nessel’s 
statement, 
Secretary 
of 
State 
Jocelyn 
Benson 
spoke to the response 
made by the Attorney 
General and Secretary 
of State’s offices, as 
well as the severity of 
the alleged crime.
“The 
events 
that 
bring us here today 
are rare,” Benson said. 
“They involve actions 
by a public official 
entrusted 
with 
the 
administration 
of 
elections, and they 
recognize 
that 
our 
elections, 
as 
the 
Attorney 
General 
emphasized, 
are 
the 
foundation 
of 
our democracy. All 
of 
us 
stand 
here 
before you today to 
indicate 
that 
there 
will be no tolerance 
for 
any 
actions 
that 
undermine 
that 
foundation, 
anywhere, 
anytime, 
by 
any 
person 
or 
official.”
While 
Benson 
emphasized 
the 
detrimental 
effects 

of any degree of election 
fraud, she also underscored 
that no election results 
had been influenced or 
jeopardized by Hawkins’ 
alleged actions.
“I want to be clear,” 
she said. “The allegations 
that 
the 
Southfield 
clerk 
falsified 
official 
election records did not 
alter the outcome of any 
election. There were no 
races that were won or 
lost as a result and there 
were no voters who were 
disenfranchised.”
Neither 
Nessel 
nor 
Benson 
would 
speak 
to 
the 
motivations 
for 
Hawkins’ alleged crime. 
Benson 
explained 
that 
while 
Hawkins’ 
actions 
are 
being 
investigated, 
the Southfield City Clerk’s 
office will work jointly 
with the attorney general’s 
office to administer local 
elections coming up in 
November.
According to Benson, the 
investigation carried out 
by both her and Nessel’s 
departments 
confirms 
Michigan’s commitment to 
free and fair elections.
“What 
today’s 
announcement 
also 
underscores 
is 
that 
in 
Michigan, 
our 
elections 
are 
secure,” 
she 
said. 
“It’s important to note 
that 
when 
there 
are 
allegations of misconduct, 
we act swiftly to ensure 
they are addressed and 
justice is served, and in 
fact it is because of our 
vigorous series of checks 
and balances, including a 
very detailed 14-day post-
election 
canvas 
process 
designed 
to 
confirm 
election results in every 
precinct that we uncovered 
this potential misconduct.”

U NIVE R S IT Y PHILHAR MONIA ORCHESTR A

2 — Tuesday, September 24, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News

RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily
The University Philharmonia Orchestra performs Beethoven’s lighthearted Second Symphony at a concert in Hill Auditorium Monday evening.

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BEN ROSENFELD
Daily Staff Reporter

Michigan Attorney General accuses Southfield employee of falsifying returns, forgery of 
public record, misconduct in November 2018, according to a Monday press conference

Nessel announces election fraud charges

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